Saudi Arabia 'looks forward' to Kurdistan heeding UN proposals

Saudi’s Arab Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan (L) in a meeting with Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region in Erbil. Photo: KRP

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Saudi Arabia's Arab Gulf Affairs minister has encouraged the Kurdish presidency to accept international proposals, as the United Nations General Assembly debate gets underway on Tuesday.

"I look forward to the wisdom and courage of President Masoud Barzani to accept international mediation to resolve the current crisis within the UN proposals and spare Iraq's ruthless crises," wrote Minister Thamer al-Sabhan in a tweet.

A Saudi delegation including Sabhan came to Erbil on Sunday. At the time, there had been no Saudi expressed support or opposition to the Kurdistan Region's decision to hold an independence referendum on September 25 (Monday).

However, Sabhan had expressed his country's willingness for laying grounds of dialogue and mediation between Erbil and Baghdad to resolving both sides’ unresolved problems, according to a statement from the Kurdish presidency.

Most recently on Monday, the presidency reiterated that Erbil will go on with the referendum if there are not international guarantees.

Amid the UN General Assembly, global opposition to next week's Kurdistan independence referendum continues to strengthen.

“The Secretary-General [Antonio Guterres] the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise,” read a statement from his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Sunday.